Living Changed: ForgivenessSample

Surrender

For us to truly forgive those who have hurt us, we have to learn to surrender.

Now, “surrender” can be one of those words that makes people squeamish. We tend to equate it with losing a battle—waving a white flag and allowing the enemy to overtake us. But when we surrender to God, we can view it differently.

With God, surrender means being open handed with our hurt and pain so that He can take it from us. He is full of love, mercy, and compassion for each of us. We don’t have to be afraid to give our pain to God because we can trust Him to be tender, and handle our hearts with care. 

Surrender also means giving up our desire for revenge. It’s natural for us to want to see someone pay the consequences for their actions. Even God has a righteous anger toward sin and injustice. But we have to accept that only God can judge a person’s heart. We don’t get to decide whether someone receives punishment or grace, and holding on to our need for vengeance will only leave us with bitterness.

If we want to find peace, we have to give our anger and pride over to God and focus on our own hearts. Surrender is a conscious choice to lay our pain and desire for control at His feet and ask God to do a work in us. It’s saying we can’t forgive on our own and we need His help. 

As Christ followers, surrender is something we do daily—even when we don’t want to do it. Sometimes when we’re working through forgiveness, we have to surrender the same pain to God multiple times. When old feelings stir up, we forgive again and again until it no longer upsets us. With God’s grace, all things are forgivable. 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened is ok. It doesn’t mean we let that person back into our lives or allow them to hurt us again. And it doesn’t necessarily mean having a face-to-face conversation—the person doesn’t even have to still be alive for us to forgive them because it’s not about them. It’s an acknowledgement in a moment that is just between us and God. It’s about inviting Him in so He can heal our hearts.

Take a moment to pray and give the one hurt you’re focusing on, for this plan, and surrender it to God. Tell Him you need His help and that you trust Him with the results.